Just Princesses

by Crystal Velásquez, Manuel Preitano (Illustrations)

Everything is perfect in the fairy tale kingdom of Stardust . . . until the newly crowned (and a wee bit evil) Queen Malinda, has a birthday. Insecure and angry that she is aging, Queen Malinda casts a spell meant to rid the kingdom of children- including her own daughter, Evaline, and stepdaughter, Princess Katrina and capture their eternal youth. But when the spell badly backfires, all the adults in the land vanish. It is up to Princess Katrina and her new friends to try to break the evil spell and get things back to normal. That is, unless Evaline, who is more than happy to be in charge for once, has anything to say about it. Will the princesses and band of friends succeed on their quest, or will the adults be lost forever?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Dragons, Princesses, Comics

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2016

Reviews

[Jasmine H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it was interesting. This book is perfect for any age. It's kinda like other adventure books because they go on an adventure. First the mom did a spell to take away kids and it went wrong. All the parents disapered so the kids wanted to save them. They went on a quest and they found this place that made then fall asleep and someone saved them and they found their parents.

[Amy! · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was cute. The story was a little weak, but the art was nice, and I enjoyed everyone's tiny animals. Everyone was pretty white, except for the mystical South Asian grandmother & grandkids, which I feel like was a bit of a miss, but it was nice to see a variety of representations on being a girl/princess.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Just Princesses" by Crystal Velasquez and illustrated by Manuel Preitano is just too cute. I really enjoyed the artwork, which is attractive and quite colorful. The story is cute and appropriate for the book's target audience. It is easy to read and the language is age appropriate. I'm older than the target audience and I enjoyed it. I think I will probably pass it on to one of my nieces (I still might decide to keep it myself). I would definitely recommend it to parents and school libraries.

I won my copy of this book from the Goodreads.com website and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review it. I would rate this book 4.5 - 4.6.

[Raina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great!
Basically, take familiar faces like Snow White, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood, give them mascots/spirit animals/adorable pets, add a few other fresh faces, turn them into kids, take away all of the adults, send them on a journey, and make it into a comic book.

My instinct is to say that, normally, princess stories are not my thing.
But I was raised on Ariel, Aurora, and Jasmine, so that isn't exactly true.
I have come to dislike the commercialization of story inherent in the Disney universe. Even though I loved Moana, I totally side-eyed her conveniently plot-bearing props and sidekicks, ripe for product sales.

This resembles the most commercialized of princesses, but is not united with them.
This is how an independent comic book press does princesses for kids.

There's a snarky narrator which reminded me of the voice on Jane the Virgin. There's a new and villainous princess with purple hair. There are feminist asides. There are creators who do not fit in the ubiquitous white box.

It's full color, the page layouts vary widely... Honestly, I'm trying to figure out what there is to dislike. Ok, so maybe the fact that the four core/on-the-cover princesses all appear white. But other important characters are not (including the prince who joins them). So. Yeah. This is great.


--Planning to take out to my elementary schools in May/June 2017, so dibs, TRLers.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel is funny and imaginative. Family-friendly, too. Mom, Dad, 7-year-old boy, and 5-year-old girl all enjoyed it. Both familiar and new fairy tale children are set in a new world where an evil spell has been cast, and they must overcome their differences to set things right. Even the narrator is a character, and the story gives nods to other tales without taking you out of this one. Hope there's another one some day!

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how I feel about this one. It was witty and fun but perhaps and bit forced? Regardless, it'll be a hit with fourth graders.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this got a bit long, bogged down by Evaline's plotting, but the overall story was fun.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of character types and plot structure, there's a lot that's overly familiar here. Fortunately, Just Princesses has a bit more going for it. Aside from having more than one "strong female protagonist," and so a good title to recommend to girls who are looking for more relatable leads in their comics, the story also contains a lot of silly humor and running jokes throughout. All this is helped by a narrator who interacts with the characters and the reader, tongue firmly in cheek. Prince Max is there presumably to draw a few boys in, but with a title like "Just Princesses," it's not likely to succeed without a solid recommendation from a reputable source. The ending ties things up a bit too tidily, but it does leave one with the impression that there's more to come, which should be good news for kids who have enjoyed the story.
Note: I was reviewing this while on the reference desk, and a middle grade aged girl inquired about it. When I told her the plot (an evil spell goes wrong and makes all the grownups disappear) she wanted to read it right away. That's probably a good sign :).

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a fun and cute story, with a narrator who would break the fourth wall. My biggest complaint is a physical aspect of the book: the inside margins weren't large enough and the pictures went into the binding, making it hard to read or see pieces at times. There needed to be more white around the edges, or slightly larger pages or something.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hahahaha...when Snow White started singing! I cracked up in the lunchroom, and everyone stared at me. Love the artwork and the storyline and look forward to seeing where this is going.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a magical spell brewed up by Princess Katrina's stepmother goes terribly wrong, it's up to the royal children of the nearby kingdoms to save their missing parents. But the queen's daughter, Evaline, has other plans for the sudden power vacuum.

Just Princesses is a graphic novel that combines familiar princess characters with a classic fantasy quest. Just Princesses is perfect for reluctant young readers with its bright illustrations, cute animal companions, and humor. Themes of working together and feminism are sprinkled without, and I enjoyed the asides from the narrator.

Just Princesses is pretty good, but feels more like it's setting itself up to be a series and introducing the world and characters. While the concept is fun and easy to latch on to, I probably wouldn't recommend this one since there are no continuing books to date.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Princesses by Crystal Velásquez is a interesting story. During the story, the princesses learn how to save themselves. One of them learns that being princesses doesn’t mean you just wear poofy dress and have everyone do everything for you. The princesses learn it’s okay to get dirty as well. During my time with this book I learned many valuable lessons and had a great time reading. This book remind me of “Once upon a time” the show where different characters from different stories meet. I recommend to anybody who likes fairy tales.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a flash of purple smoke, every grown-up in the land vanishes! The kids of the kingdom know it is up to them, but do they have what it takes? Our heroes must not only conquer rock-throwing trolls, hungry wolves, and a sabotaging sister, but find their own courage and confidence to complete their quest. With beautifully colored illustrations accompanied by a playful narrator, this is a cozy adventure for a lazy Saturday morning and a cup of cocoa.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 7-year-old daughter suggested I read this book. It is a graphic novel about a group of princesses (and a prince) who go on a quest when all of the adults disappear. I thought it was enjoyable. It is a graphic novel with a good amount of text, a developed storyline, and interesting characters that explore issues of good and evil, the worlds of adults and children, overcoming fear, and gender stereotypes.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m in junior kindergarten so my mom wasn’t sure if I’d be old enough to understand this book, but I really liked it! I’m a fan of Disney’s Descendents, and this book reminded me of that a little bit, because it had characters from various stories coming together and there were some good and evil people. My mom was surprised at how clever and funny this book was. We liked the colorful artwork, too. We are both hoping there will be a follow-up to this book.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone that's really into comics I enjoyed the artwork and thought that it fit the book perfectly. This was a wonderful preteen/children's book and even though it's clearly meant for the younger crowd it was still worth a read and followed a fairly well known trope of children dealing without grown ups around. It was a fun book and I'm sure kids will enjoy it.

[Haidyn.C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was was not boring it was interesting because the parents disappear and the kids are trying to get the parents out of this globe and have them come to life. If you like mystery then you should like this book because that it is the genre. Will the parents come back to the kingdom are will they be stuck in the globe forever.

[Geneve Loughmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine, I knew it would be basic and kiddy but I still read it. I for some reason don’t like when the narrator talks with the characters. I didn’t really like the character design like it was cute enough I just didn’t vibe with them (🤓like a cool person would say) awrrrrr my reviews are so cringy. Anyway, it would be good as a child’s book and it had a good enough storyline so... I guess 5 stars for a child’s book but for me it would be more like 4 stars. I did not like evalines design. I think it was her hair

[Sarah Glauser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations. I gave it four stars because there were a lot of get out of jail free moments for the characters. However ,it's written for a pretty young group and I really appreciated the princess empowerment.

[Sydney (sydneysshelves) West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought this was kinda lame even for a children's story. The sarcastic narrator was funny but... predicitable and almost annoying. The story line was SOO predictable that I was bored. I mean I love a good fairytale but don't be so cheesy I fall asleep.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the art, and the characters, and their special powers. The title's a bit misleading, as only two of them are princesses! For some reason, it didn't really appeal to me overall. The animals might have been a bit much?

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad but also not the best. If you like it, cool beans. I’m still running confused with the title because of Prince Max + mystery persons at the end with their own pets? It’s not just featuring all the gals?

Anyway it’s cute, there are a few chuckles to be had and the animals were pretty fun.

I might try more in the series but I’m definitely not invested at the moment. Also I expect this won’t be an issue in print but I found the digital library edition a bit blurry especially w the text.

[TaShae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been in a long reading slump this month of July!! This book brought me out of my slump! I love how the connection between the princesses when they went on their journey. Also, the fact that Evaline is so much like her mother without her knowing it, is top tier. I really enjoyed this book!

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun, a quest with just princesses (and one prince) and their animal companions. The narrator was so sassy and it was really funny. I also loved that a character had my name and wasn’t the villain or a bad person this time yay

[Shiralea Woodhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute Graphic! Fun story with just the right amount of quirk and humor!

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great quick, light read. A magic spell gets rid of all the adults in the kingdom. It's up to four new friends and their pets to break the spell. There were some great comedic moments.

[Amanda Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute "fairy tale" about princesses!

[Theresa Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic fiction book will be a big hit with my elementary kids!

[AMY · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Graphic Novel) This one is just plain weird. I do not recommend.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fast read that my daughter recommend that I read.